Brother of accused courthouse shooter arrested in Houston

HOUSTON - The brother of a suspected Beaumont courthouse shooter was arrested in Houston as his family told reporters their claims of being "railroaded" by the justice system, Local 2 Investigates reported on Wednesday night.

Lyndon Granger was wrestled into handcuffs by Jefferson County Sheriff's deputies off North Wayside, where his family had agreed to meet reporters to spell out their claims of brutality and police misconduct.

"Put your hands behind your back," the deputies said as cameras were rolling.

Granger resisted briefly, saying, "I didn't do anything" but he then went peacefully with deputies who said they had a new warrant for his arrest.

Granger's brother, Bartholomew Granger Sr., 41, of Houston, was identified by Beaumont police as the man who opened fire outside the Jefferson County Courthouse, killing one woman and wounding several other people.

Police said they shot the gunman to end the rampage, which came as Bartholomew Granger was standing trial on charges of sexually assaulting a female relative.

Granger is recovering from his wounds, and is now facing a murder charge.

Before his brother's arrest in northeast Houston, the Granger family asked activist Quanell X to outline for reporters the family's claims of being abused during the police rape investigation that led up to today's courthouse proceedings that turned bloody.

"The family feels that they've been seeking justice and seeking help to no avail and they feel that the justice system is railroading this family," Quanell X told reporters before deputies moved in for the new arrest.

The family had filed a civil rights lawsuit on July 26, 2010, telling a Houston US District Court that the entire rape case was "based on a lie" and it blamed a "felon" and a corrupt Child Protective Services caseworker for pushing the rape charges against the Granger brothers.

The lawsuit was tossed out of court in December after a federal judge ruled there was no evidence that the family's rights had been abused.Quanell X said, "Therefore this family believes that (Bartholomew Granger, Sr.) snapped and took a weapon and committed this heinous crime.

"The family is appalled by the behavior of their loved one, but they do understand why he snapped because he couldn't receive justice and he felt there was no justice in the Jefferson County Courthouse," Quanell X said.

He added that the family did not condone the violence.

The suspected shooter's 19-year-old son, Bartholomew Granger, Jr. stood beside the activist and the suspected shooter's brother before reporters before deputies moved in to arrest Lyndon Granger.

Major Bradford Lowe with the Jefferson County Sheriff's office said, "I'm not going to tell you what the warrant is, but he does have a felony warrant out of Jefferson County. It's based on a previous charge."

The judge presiding over the sex abuse cases against both Granger brothers ordered Lyndon Granger back into custody, even though he had posted bail and was awaiting trial for felony Indecency with a Child next week, according to other arresting officers.

Investigators said the charges against both brothers involved sexual abuse claims by the same young female relative.

Quanell X called the Wednesday evening surprise arrest "very suspicious," saying Lyndon Granger posted bail and has denied any wrongdoing and has committed no crimes since posting bail.

"I believe that the brother is being arrested today because of the volatile situation and the tragic situation in Jefferson County. I think they're arresting this brother now to make sure that he does not conduct himself in the same manner or go and harm some innocent human being because he's facing trial next week," said Quanell X.

Before the arrest, neither Lyndon Granger nor Bartholomew Granger, Jr. would speak with reporters directly about their case or their grief from Wednesday's shooting, with the activist citing pending court cases as the reason for their silence.

The brother who was arrested was taken by deputies to a lockup in downtown Houston, where he was set to face a Harris County magistrate judge before being returned back to Beaumont.

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